C-ute's disbanding wasn't very painful for me for a couple reasons...I had ample time to prepare myself for it, I'm glad that they finally got some time off after 15 years, and, to be honest, I wasn't too fond of pretty much any of their songs for the past few years (not since that adam & eve song)... they will be missed, and set a benchmark for other idol groups for sure...
Another reason I wasn't too shaken by C-ute's disbanding was due to the strength that Kobushi Factory has displayed since their debut, but, to be honest, I was scared when members started leaving...but it seems that we've been left with the 5 best members whom also seem to be in it to win it, and I hope they leave the magnolia's as a 5 member group.
I have to admit that I originally wasn't impressed with Tsubaki Factory's debut, but they've grown on me a lot over the course of this year
Whilst I was initially vexed at the adding of new members to Juice=Juice, I have to admit that I am very impressed with Ruru and look forward to watching her improve
Not trying to be gross or anything, but it is good for the whole company that Makino's been getting a lot of magazine covers, and even better that a lot of her solo media appearances aren't gravure related but are about her love of baseball (hopefully one day she'll be able to throw a strike lol)...
to say that I am pleased with 13th gen is an understatement.
It will be weird without Duu...
Last, but certainly not least, is Musubu...she's really impressed me this year - although, to be honest, that's partly because i never really payed any attention to her before this year. I was never a fan of Country Girls (i just couldn't get into their songs since they all sounded like they were from the 1950s and i'm just not into that sound), and so i was unfamiliar with her singing voice. Just by looking at her, with her teeth and small stature, i honestly expected her to sound like an anime character or something, with a cutesy little voice
But thanks to youtube recommending me some videos from her birthday event, i was honestly blown away to find out that she had such a powerful voice. With Meimei's departure, Murotan had become my favorite in Angerme (you can't replace Meimei, mind you...), and Murotan is still awesome in her own right, but I must admit that Musubu is now one of my overall favorites in H!P (my top 4 moving forward are, in no particular order, Karin, Hama-chan, Musubu, and Mizupon)...
all in all, I am impressed with all the younger members' skill levels - dare I say, but H!P may be stronger than ever